Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko signed a law “On making alterations to certain laws of Ukraine regarding the right of religious organizations to permanent use of land lots.”

The text of the law was posted by the president’s website on 30 January, 2009. The law was passed by parliament on 15 January 2009, and stipulates, in particular, that religious organizations registered in Ukraine have the right to permanent use of land lots unless they are used for entrepreneurial activities. The law becomes effective on the day of its publication.

As RISU already reported earlier, 327 national deputies voted in favor of the law. The necessity of granting religious organizations the right to permanent use of land is supported by all the leading churches of Ukraine, in particular the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow and Kyivan patriarchates, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and Protestant churches. All the addresses of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations which were sent to state leaders in 2005-2008 stressed that necessity.

The law stipulates granting religious organizations the right to permanent use of land lots and not ownership rights. State and territorial communities remain the owners of the land lots.

On the materials of RISU